When given the choice on who Republicans want as the next GOP candidate, the majority of Americans answered “none of the above,” according to an AP poll released Tuesday.
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(Photo: Getty Images / Mark Wilson)U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) (L) stands next to former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani during a nationally televised political debate at University of South Carolina's Koger Center for the Arts, Tuesday, May 15, 2007, in Columbia, S.C.
Americans were given the choice to back any of the leading Republican front-runners currently up for the presidential bid, but nearly one quarter were not confident with the current list of candidates.
The recent poll reflects the strong evangelical constituency inside the party, and how the current hopefuls are not necessarily meeting their expectations. The poll may reveal an opening for current underdogs such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback to move forward.
"I'm looking for a strong, honest person. Do you know of any?" joked Barbara Skogman, a 72-year-old retired legal assistant from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to the Associated Press. "Isn't that sad?"
Respondents were told to choose who they would vote for on the upcoming 2008 GOP nomination ballot among the four highest candidates: Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson (who is technically not in the race yet), John McCain or Mitt Romney.
Former New York Mayor Giuliani leads the three others with 21 percent of the poll, but has dropped from his high mark of 35 percent in March.
Thompson, the actor and former Tennessee senator, has quickly become a competitor now with 19 percent of the responses. Arizona senator McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Romney trail with 15 and 11 percent of the poll, respectively.
However, a majority, 23 percent, say that they will not or cannot say who they will vote for in the upcoming election. Compared to the poll on the Democratic side where only 13 percent were undecided, the polls show an apprehensive attitude towards the current GOP roster.
"Democrats are reasonably comfortable with the range of choices. The Democratic attitude is that three or four of these guys would be fine," said David Redlawsk, a University of Iowa political scientist, according to the Associated Press. "The Republicans don't have that; particularly among the conservatives there's a real split. They just don't see candidates who reflect their interests and who they also view as viable."
Several Christian and evangelical groups have criticized the current contenders for many of their moral standards.
Giulliani has been married three times and been a big promoter of abortion and gay rights in past years. Both McCain and Thompson have had divorces in their past, and do not seem to stress their faith. Romney has been criticized for his ties to the Mormon church, which most Christians view as a cult.
Out of the nine total GOP possibilities, many Christians have started to side with two candidates, Huckabee and Brownback – who have not been able to raise to the top mostly due to their insufficient funding and lack of publicity – because of their strong moral track record.
Both candidates have explained that their faith is an important aspect of how they act, and have shown this through their current campaign.
In one such incident in late May, both raised their hands during the first GOP debate when asked if they did not believe in evolution. Both clarified their positions at a later debate at the start of June as to mean that they believe that God had a crucial role in creating the world.
"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth," explained Huckabee at the debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. “Whether God did it in six days or whether He did it in six days that represented periods of time, He did it. And that's what's important."
Besides holding to traditional faith stances towards issues such as abortion, the two also have qualities that religious voters favor. Brownback has been a strong promoter of decency standards in media in the past among other things. Huckabee is an ordained Baptist minister.
Meanwhile, Democrats have shown they are much less undecided.
Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has amassed a sizable lead over her Illinois competitor Barack Obama at 36 and 20 percent respectively. North Carolina Sen. John Edwards trails with 11 percent.
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I'll take FOX news over the liberal news media anyday.Plus, Hannity's show is on FOX.That's a good enough reason to watch it, right there.The government caused 9-11? Do you think our landing on the moon was staged, too?
aplusmk,
Anyone who truly thinks that Sept. 11th was a conspiracy by the American government should be considered incompetent to vote.
For all of you out there who think that Bush caused 9-11 and that we took those building down... do you have any idea what you are saying? The Bush administration is the absolute worst at keeping secrets... 'inconsistencies'... like what... elementary physics and gravity? You take intensive heat, combine that with metal, maybe add some iron in there, give it a few hours and presto'... bent steal, bent support structures... and falling building.
I'm not really surprised.I have been frustrated with my choices the last several years.Is this the best we have to choose from in a country of this size?
"However, a majority, 23 percent"
I am confused. When did 23% become a majority instead of the 51% it has always been?
Is this some new form of AP math??
I wouldn't vote for Brownback because he believes in evolution creation. I'll be 18 next month and I'm voting for Huckabee.
Tim_T you are correct, in that it is not unusual for ~1/4 of voters to be not sure, more than 6 months before a primary. The part that got lost in the shuffle, is that it is very unusual for a supposedly undecided vote to increase by such a large margin. From 14% last month in June 2007 to 23% in July. What happened to Giuliani's numbers after the debate? He played the audience for applause points, but they figured out that he had played them. I contend that just such an anomaly has been caused by an upstart candidate shaking things up. Let everything that can be shaken...
Campaign donations from the military. Ron Paul received 1/3 of the total donations from military members and vets.
Ron Paul 32.94%
John McCain 22.99%
Hillary Clinton 13.92%
Bill Richardson 7.03%
Barack Obama 6.85%
Mitt Romney 4.68%
Rudy Giuliani 3.06%
John Edwards 2.97%
Tom Tancredo 1.85%
Duncan Hunter 1.32%
Joe Biden 1.06%
Mike Huckabee 0.20%
Mike Gravel 0.09%
Sam Brownback 0.07%
From: http://thespinfactor.com/thetruth/2007/07/17/ron-paul-leads-all-08-candidates-with-one-third-of-military-contributions-for-q2/
and: http://phreadom.blogspot.com/2007/07/ron-paul-is-most-financially-military.html
Sam Brownback...have to vote with the consistent candidate on life issues
I am rooting for Sam Brownback to gain some traction in the polls. He is unashamedly pro-life as compared to those who just might be merely pro-life on a public policy level. It is evident that Brownback has a proven passion for the protecting the sanctity of human life. Go for the one with the heart and not with the one who merely uses the issue just to get votes.
Where is the Ron Paul option on that poll? Or for that matter the other second tier canidates. Fred Thompson?? He hasn't even beyond the investigation comitee stage! McCain has less cash on hand that Paul, and Romney as well if he had nott loaned himself 9 million. I have a feeling, that many of those none of the above are looking at second tier canidates. Got a buck here says many of them are looking to vote for the freedom canidate. Anyone want to take up that bet?
Ron Paul is the MOST HONEST POLITICIAN if you Google the phrase. He is consistent in upholding the Constitution. It is true that the mainstream media (the media where most people get their news: talk radio, ABC, FOX, etc.) are biased against him because the media as well as their corporate sponsors have a lot to lose if Ron Paul wins.
The other candidates are members of the Council on Foreign Relations, which most Christians recognize as the prelude to the New World Order so often talked about by previous and current administrations. The group's objectives are to obliterate America's sovereignty, thus its Constitution. Ron Paul is not a part of this group. He is one of "us", not one of "them".
I am personally a Christian for Ron Paul, and he has my vote.
RON PAUL - If more Christians looked into 911 just maybe they would see some Inconstancies with it. Instead too many people are content to get there news from Fox and ignore what is going on around them. Like if there was a real war on terror why are the borders wide open, why did tower 7 fall, why is the hole in the pentagon not big enough for the plane to fit through and where is all the video footage from cameras surrounding the pentagon? Start doing some real research and stop being lazy and getting your news from FOX!
It is very clear that if people knew who Ron Paul is they would be voting for him. If there is somthing wrong with the moral standard of Ron Paul then I don't know what it is. It is clear that he is not a "911 truther" if you listen to what he says. I think he talks to them beacase he understands that those are basically just people who are fed up with government and want accoutability,oversight, and honest answers.
Mike Huckabee has my vote!
million,
Ron Paul's opposition to the war on terror is worthy of an honorable debate, but his willingness to publicly entertain conspiracy theories regarding 9/11 are quickly marginalizing him as a kook.
This article seriously misrepresents the situation. 23% is far from a "majority" (as the article calls it). It is not at all unusual for this much of the electorate to be undecided this far ahead of the election. I'd be willing to bet money that the undecided percentage will be significantly lower by late fall.
Then again, the current undecided percentage may not even be 23%, since that number includes those who "will not" say who they're supporting. In other words, a fair portion of that 23% may be "None of your business" rather than "I don't know".
Ron Paul won't get the nod b/c of his paleo-conservative belief against intervening in other countries' affairs. Also, he's just too darn honest and true to his moral beliefs (unlike the hypocrits on the Hill). Although Broun just won in Georgia on a pro-Constitution ticket, that success won't extend to the national level b/c of the majority of this country hating Iraq which equals hating Republicans... which, sadly, equals Hillary or Obama in the White House and even more welfare/warfare/deficits/rampant inflation. Ron Paul's not pro-Iraq but the public won't distinguish him from the other Repubs, and any pro-war candidate will lose handily after the last four years of Iraq.
Ron Paul was not even mentioned in the survey. He is a Christian, he is pro-life, anti-war, and NOT pro-homosexual marriage. Every candidate claims to be a Christian, but Clinton and Giuliani sure don't act like it! Romney is a Mormon, and I think most of us would agree that Mormons have some very strange beliefs and practices (like baptizing the dead).
I will not vote for anyone who is pro-abortion, or pro-homosexual marriage. art